Howl
by naturally morbid
Summary: On-Hold. Hans Gruber should have been a dead man. Instead, he finds that he is not only alive, but very much improved. There is just one tiny problem. He's not quite human. He must find the woman that can help before more lives are lost. Hans/OC
1. Chapter One: Solitary

**Author Notes: **I have never written a Die Hard fic before. In fact, I usually write for manga/anime series. But I must confess that this plot has been eating away at my brain for the last week or so, since I rewatched the movie not so long ago. I've read/love quite a few in this category and didn't think I would have the courage to post on my own. I let a good friend of mine read what I had so far and they were delighted with it, so I'm going to give it a go on here.

While I love the Hans rescues girl from dangerous situation (believe me, I'm addicted) stories, I wanted to offer up a fairly unique scenario for your reading pleasure. I realize this probably isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, so I ask that if you do not like it for the idea, please don't leave a review flaming it.

But for those of you who like things of a darker nature, I would like to explain. No, I did not get the idea from Twilight. In fact, I've been reading a lot of Kelley Armstrong books (her Women of Otherworld series has me addicted) and it sort of got me to thinking. While I like vampires (trust me on this - the majority of my current reading is vampires and such) I have always liked werewolves too. When I heard Florence + The Machine's song Howl, I felt inspired (even if the song isn't directly about werewolves).

But what to use it for?

It was late one night and I was watching Die Hard for around what seems like the millionth time when it dawned on me. Hans is my favorite character (Alan Rickman could read the phone book and I would so be drooling on myself - mmm that voice!) and the ending always makes me mad (naturally!). So what if he survived the fall? This led me to thinking of possibilities to make it work. He would have to be less than human right? Well, one theory anyway.

And so this fic was born.

I haven't worked so hard on a story in a long time. School usually gobbles up all my time. Anyway, I'm rambling and you're probably wondering if there is a story here or just a bunch of notes. I will admit now that I've changed some of the rules of werewolves (reinvented them so to say...). I have a plan for this. The journal entries also have a point and plan later. Since much isn't known about him (I'm even reading the book the movie was based on) I've taken some liberties with his life before the Nakatomi building.

So please enjoy. Positive reviews please!

**Summary**: Hans Gruber should have been a dead man. Instead, he finds that he is not only alive, but very much improved. There is just one tiny problem. He's not quite human. Now he has to figure out how to control the raging beast within, while tracking down the only person who can help, before the next full moon or else he might destroy more innocent lives. Hans/OC

Set just after the end of the movie.

**Rating: **M due to slight violence, sexual situations, some disturbing imagery, and slight gore. Reader discretion is advised. Under 17, you have been warned. Particular senstive parts are marked with (*) if you would like to skip.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Die Hard or its associated characters. I do own characters that will appear later and will be marked within the disclaimer and author's note as such. I give credit for the title of the story and the two lines of lyrics mentioned at the beginning to Florence + The Machine. The plot is from my own twisted and sinister mind.

* * *

Howl

Chapter One: Solitary

***

_If you could only see the beast you've made of me  
I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free_

_-_Howl by Florence + The Machine

***

**_Redell's Guidebook:_**

_I'm not what you would call an average girl during any decade. Trust me, I have lived through several more than I should have. _

_But it just isn't fair! I am outcast, even without my little problem._

_People are afraid of my youthful appearance! _

_I really fail to see it though. I feel decades older than I look. Twenty-somethings in this age are supposed to fail, believe it or not! Or at least not know as much as I do. _

_Once again, I didn't think before I opened my mouth. I said too much and gave myself away. _

_So I've had to leave this section of London for now. I'll head for my native Germany for a visit perhaps._

_Ever since the first change many moons ago, instinct takes over. I never was able to control my tongue well… _

_Exactly what landed me with this disease eating me alive slowly, over vast decades? _

_Sometimes instinct takes over before I realize it and I found I have spread the disease even further, to someone new, some unsuspecting lover no matter how attached I get to them since they're so few and far between…_

_Then I have to run again. Running running running, always running. Always hiding._

_But alas, I find myself rambling once more. _

_Should this prove important to anyone I have left behind, I am one of the many afflicted with lycanthropy. I make it sound like a cancer. But for all it's worth, it might as well be. _

_Once a month I am forced by the polluted blood to change into a no-holds-barred beast of eternal suffering and pain, unable to control myself when I run all over, chasing prey that my brain insists my body needs. _

_Pros: I keep my twenty-something appearance well. It's like my skin was tattooed this way, tattooed over the wolf within. I have incredible strength outside of wolf form, speed in wolf form. I never get cold; in fact it's like summer all the time. My eyesight is beyond perfect, even in the dark. Sex is excellent by the way. Wounds heal quickly, like within seconds, though gross. Nothing changes._

_Cons: Nothing about me changes. I kill things and can do nothing about I, though there might be something to help. I live forever; unable to take my life, not that I haven't tried over the decades… That whole silver bullet thing, yeah, such a lie, let me tell you… But that's only because no one has found anything different to try. I infect people and cannot stop myself. I have to be away from everyone I love, not that they're alive now anyway…_

_And if you are reading this, you've been thrown into my world…_

***

Hans Gruber was a dead man.

Well he should have been.

He had fallen _x_ number of stories hadn't he?

But he could hear sirens close by, even without the super sensitive hearing he had found was developing over the last month. It was just like his vision. He found he was able to see much further away and in the dark. The slightest cuts healed quickly, like magic.

He felt invincible. But he didn't believe in magic. He believed in logic.

Every bone in his body had to have been broken right? But he found his hand reaching for his face, checking for damage. His mind screamed impossibility and yet, it was easy to believe he could have survived after all.

It was easy because he could think of no other explanation, like a child accepting simple truths.

So he sat up.

No pain trickled through, even when he stood and began walking away. There was so much chaos on the ground, with the police milling around other places. It would take them a few minutes to realize what was going on up top.

And Hans disappeared.

It just seemed like a good idea at the time, but it must have been his body in shock. Ever in control it seemed. His mind slowly shutting down…

***

The faint prickling of palms tickled his nose, the flesh wrinkling against its intrusion. He could smell a hundred other things he couldn't identify right away. Instinct told him they were not important, but his human mind clicked on and he sat up.

Hans found himself in a remote location, probably miles from where the Nakatomi building was supposed to be. But he did not feel tired, or at least as tired as he should have felt walking all that way.

In fact, he wasn't sure exactly where he had ended up.

The air was cool, but not freezing, reminding him that he was probably still at least on the West Coast, presumably California. It was just cold enough for a light coat. He was sitting on a quaint bench located in an abandoned shopping center. Palm trees lined the road nearby, with a residential area just beyond it.

So where the hell did that put him?

The suit he had taken such care to pick out was ruined beyond repair. He recalled that it had been rather pricey, something he would have rather not travelled in; His shoes, the comfortable Italian leather ones, missing.

One hand mussed his hair while he tried to survey the damage done; Nothing broken, just shredded clothing.

But what did that mean?

He remembered the building, John McClane, and walking away. His vision was sharp and his hearing sensitive. He spotted a group of teenagers walking further away than the average human being should have been able to see.

Should he ask them for help?

His Anglo-German accent could be lost for a decent American one at the drop of a hat. While he contemplated, he rubbed his face with his hands, only to find them covered in flakes of dried blood.

Hans began to check more furiously, like a man possessed, trying to figure out exactly where the source was so that he could stop it. Much to his horror however, he found it to be mostly around his mouth. A cursory search with his tongue proved all his teeth inside of his head.

He glanced up at the full moon.

Clips and flashes of his last few nights came back to him, burning through his brain like wildfire. The sharp, tang of blood, the stench of the city, nature intertwined all mingled with a lower eye level; Teeth tearing soft flesh, delighting in the exhilaration of the kill.

Was he finally going mad?

He held his head, a violent wave of nausea consuming him. He was quietly sick on the other side of the bench.

Something was horribly wrong. Something more wrong than surviving a multiple story fall.

Hans Gruber was a changed man.

His hands shook with a fury he didn't know he possessed, as he felt his bones crunch, the muscles tearing away. His simple human flesh took on patterns as it stretched tighter than a drum. He wondered vaguely who was screaming, then remembered he was all alone.

It was like a raging fire spreading under his skin. His fingers tried to tear at his body, trying to find purchase as they changed shape. He had to be hallucinating, a sure sign of impending madness. But the pain felt real enough as he writhed on the harsh asphalt.

The little bits of ragged clothing he had been swathed in lay scattered around him as his face changed shape, the bones stretching and becoming a muzzle. His flesh itched as soft fur rose to the surface.

Everything seemed slightly larger as his arms melted to front and hind legs. Thumbs became dew claws and rough pads. His spine lengthened to form a rather large tail, the impulse to wag it harder to control.

Organs finished their shifting and melding while he fought to remain conscious. Had the changes before been this painful? This surreal?

No wonder his mind had shut off several days in row.

Everything was so inviting. He could smell blood and meat not so far away. It was still fresh, still moving. His gums were already salivating with the thought of the hunt.

But Hans did not want to surrender his will to the wishes of the beast.

He could feel its instincts tugging, shaping his own. He snarled helplessly, his paws moving on their own. He wondered where the beast could smell meat from. There had been nothing in sight before his body began morphing, just a bunch of teens.

The teenagers.

His mind balked with horror, his control slipping. The beast leaped for the chance and began running in leaps and bounds, eager for the meal. Its powerful muscles rippled under the black fur, power gathering in the foreign limbs as it neared its destination.

(*)

Hans watched, powerless as the first teenager, a young woman was grasped in his jaws, her blood covering his muzzle. The beast howled with delight from the sharp tang but Hans wished he could throw up.

The other teenagers were screaming, two more girls, and three guys. The beast snarled, already knowing the girl was dead. He would come back for her later. There was so much to taste already, while the hunt was still fresh.

He tried to control the urges, to make the beast stop, or at least redirect its attention back to the dead girl, spare the rest a most certainly violent death. But there was nothing he could do. No matter how hard he tried, the beast would not relent.

He wished he were able to shut off his mind, like he had before, so that he wouldn't see the resulting carnage he was creating. It was a veritable blood bath, the beast not stopping until all of the teenagers were in pieces. This explained the blood around his mouth from earlier.

Hans had never felt so powerless before. It frustrated him, his fury mixing with that off the animal. He just wanted to throw it all back up, to stop this monster within him. The horrible images continued to blaze behind his eyes, the stench of death and murder.

(*)

He had killed people before naturally, in fact, just a few nights ago. It was a way of eliminating enemies, but only as a last option. He did not revel in the pleasure gained from taking another life though, not like this animal.

Things killed to survive, that was how the world worked. There was always someone higher up on the food chain. But this wolf, this thing, had killed six teenagers, mostly because it enjoyed it.

Hans fought for control once more. He had some when the change first happened, because he stopped the tail from working, at least for a moment. He was able to force the paws to change slight direction, so the blood wasn't quite as strong here.

He knew he should be getting away; the cops or someone was bound to be along any minute. He had fallen from a building several nights ago; getting shot would just be too much.

The wolf glanced at the sky, noting the changing color he headed for a clump of bushes on the outskirts of the park to begin the excruciatingly painful morphing.

He wasn't sure he would ever get used to this process as his body became his own again. The scraps of his suit had completely disappeared, leaving him completely exposed. Hans knew he should feel the chilly air, but steam was pouring off his skin.

He couldn't control his breathing right away, lying chest heaving on the freezing grass, trying to decide what to do.

He knew he was going to have to find some clothing first, from somewhere. He wasn't against stealing some out of a nearby store. Nothing would be open for hours yet. But he would have to clean off some of the blood. There was no point in stealing clean clothes if he was going to get them dirty right away.

He figured there wasn't much point in eating, sure that some of the mutilated teenagers hadn't digested. Hans couldn't bring himself to throw up, no matter how hard he tried. His body refused to fall for it a second time that day.

But what was he going to do after that?

He sure as hell couldn't return to the Nakatomi building, though he figured most of the trouble had blown over. Did Theo get away or was he behind bars? Hans knew if anyone survived, it would probably be him. Before he made the great fall, he knew Theo was alive, as it seemed just about everyone else had died.

More people dead on his account, this time his own men. He felt a slight pang of regret. All of that work, those valuable lives, the money, wasted because the off duty cop somehow managed to get the upper hand.

If everyone had just cooperated, no one would have had to die. He didn't understand exactly what made people rebel, though he knew pride and such played an important part with a number of other factors.

Trying to compose himself as much as his situation allowed, Hans rose from the ground and headed as far away from the carnage. There was little he could do, though he felt terrible, except to flee the scene and hope their families were spared the awful sight.

***

He was able to pick a lock on a secondhand shop in a nearby strip mall. It had been years since he had actually opened a door that way. In a reminiscent way, it felt good to be doing his own dirty work after all this time.

He was careful to stick to the few shadows and make do with the available materials. He found some pieces of metal to bend around to work the door open. It had a poor lock anyway, just as he had figured.

Using the staff bathroom, he quickly freshened up, trying to leave no trace of blood on any of the surfaces. Not that it probably would have mattered in this bathroom, covered in rust with its dingy porcelain, with bare peeling walls.

Venturing forth into the rest of the store, he was able to find suitable casual clothes; jeans, a dark sweater, shoes, etc. He would have to worry about changing his face later along with money. He wouldn't normally wear clothes like these, especially secondhand, but he had no alternative for the time being. He tried not to feel too disgusted.

He snuck out the back before the owners showed up, but not before he discovered just exactly where he was and what had been going on the last few days. Whoever worked behind the counter read the paper daily and couldn't be bothered with recycling.

John McClane was a hero naturally. Hans felt bile rise in his throat, but he held it back and continued flipping. The Nakatomi building would be closed for some time, naturally of course, though it looked like his wife would be taking over temporarily.

It listed his dead comrades, or the one or two that had been caught and placed behind bars. Theo was listed as being arrested and awaiting court. They had not found his body, well because he was still using it, but figured it had been buried beneath some debris.

That would work in his favor. No one would believe that he survived. They were not looking for him alive. Excellent. Getting out of the country would be slightly easier, because that was his next step. Hans knew he would have had to leave anyway, had it ended any other way.

But he couldn't do it without money at least, and Theo's help. He was going to have to spring Theo from jail. Hans knew he would have to come up with some clever plan for that, testing the limits of his newfound abilities.

He skimmed through the rest of the papers. Four days had passed since his fall. New Years would be arriving soon and the moon cycle was almost complete. How long would his changes last? He figured the four days he couldn't exactly account for were due to the Change.

He also deduced from the newspapers reporting the horrible mutilations discovered around the general area of the Nakatomi building. The paper, mercifully spared the pictures of the damage, but he knew it was carefully recorded somewhere in his brain.

He wished he knew more about his condition, like where it had come from for starters.

He tried to recall anything he knew about werewolves as a boy, staying up watching monster movies or reading comics. Even later in life going to the cinemas. There was the definite moon connection and the craving for human flesh. But what about the indestructible framework that allowed him to survive?

How had lycanthropy been passed to him? Through a cut? Through a bite? Through sex? Or was it possible that he just possessed the right genes? Or was he slipping further into madness?

No, the change had been too painful, too real for it to be a product of his own designing.

The changes had been showing for a month now, before he left Germany to come to LA. He had just chalked them up to confidence in his ability to teach the corporation a lesson. As he detailed a list of his activities over the last month, he walked casually down the sidewalk, back towards where it all began.

He was halfway there before he realized someone who would know what was going on. Someone he had not considered initially, because of everything that happened. A woman.

Suddenly getting out of the country, back home, was deemed more important than anything else. It was a burning need so to say.

***

**Author End Note:** Like it? Please tell me if you would like more. I already have chapter two ready to go.


	2. Chapter Two: Woman

Author's Note: Welcome to chapter two. Thank you for the attention, fav, alert, and review :) This chapter is going to explain more how he became what he is and a bit of background story. I guess it would be more of a filler then. This is where I have taken the liberties I mentioned in the first author's note. Once more I ask, no flames please.

Next chapter will be more action packed, I promise.

Content rating: M for scenes of sensuality and drinking.

Disclaimer: I do not own Die Hard or its associated characters. I do own any characters that appear as marked (which I forgot to mention Redell's guidebook too, Adelaide later in this chapter). Florence + The Machine recieve credit for the title of the fic. The plot is from my own twisted mind.

Enjoy!

* * *

Howl

Chapter Two: Woman

_Redell's Guidebook:_

_So you've just become a lycan. _

_Congrats._

_Shoot yourself now._

_Okay, so I'm kidding, but not really. You could, if you wanted to piss off the beast, but that's about the extent of it. No scarring, no wound, the bullet even spits itself out (which would be cool if it wasn't happening to you.) I've tried that song and dance believe me. Or don't. _

_But since you believe you're probably going crazy, it might be best to listen to me until you get a grip. Think of me as your guardian angel, er… werewolf. _

_All that new stuff you're dealing with, I've been there, still there actually. So it might be more like the blind leading the blind, but at least I understand. _

_You're probably wondering how you ended up contracting lycanthropy now. _

_Well, it can be passed through wounds caused by someone who is a werewolf. They don't even have to be in werewolf form when it happens. Hell, it can be the first of the month, just after the moon cycle, or the middle during the waxing cycle, or if you're lucky enough to survive being dinner (though few are) then you'll probably join our ranks. _

_Once contracted, there is no cure. Or at least, not one that anyone has written down. I've spoken to some others over the years and some speculate there are cures or at least controllers. There has to be some way to kill us. We can't live forever can we? Or can we? I'm thinking explosives, but no one's taken me up on it yet. I keep waiting. _

_So where do you go from here? _

_Top of the food chain pal._

_You're such a cannibal. _

_Preying on your own kind. You sick freak. _

_But it can't really be helped. The beast won't let you, at least willingly. I'm sure you've felt its instincts and urges right along with your mind. It's rather unnerving isn't it? _

_And believe me, the first few days you won't remember anything right away. And trust me your clothes will disappear a lot. Get used to finding yourself naked in weird places now. _

_Think of your change as a menstrual cycle. That little time of the month, whatever, but it pretty much is. You will change every night for seven days, prior to the full moon and after, though it varies from person to person, it's always only seven days. Like PMS, only more violent. _

_You'll want to avoid any loved ones during this time. You might eat them. Actually, you will eat them, if they're around when you happen to change. I can't tell you the number of stories I've heard about people eating their grandmothers…_

_The exact moment of change is different for everyone too. Some people it starts when the sun goes down, for some it's only a few hours, and others it's randomly between dark and light. _

_Locking yourself up is a good idea, but it usually doesn't work, even with the best of intentions. Just face it you're going to eat someone. The sooner you realize that, the easier it will be. _

XXX

The first of the month everything had been fairly planned out and it was more a matter of timing. Hans had been so consumed with every detail he had not had time for many personal interests.

Taking a night off from his busy schedule, he had called up a girl that he had been acquainted with a great many years back, just for a night on the town and maybe a little intercourse later if she was willing, or even if she wasn't. He wasn't fond of rape, but if the ends justified the means, then he would use it. And it had been a very long time since he was with a woman…

Surprisingly, she was free and in the country visiting nearby. Over the phone she had sounded delighted to have his company again. He couldn't disguise his surprise at how youthful her voice remained.

While he wasn't quite over the hill, he knew he was more mature. They had gotten along rather well; she had been an intern with him in business. She wasn't as chilly as the other handful of girls she had started with.

He had been surprised with her interest in classic literature, history, and politics. When they conversed over lunch about the various subjects they had in common, he was often swept away by her manner of speaking as if she had actually lived through the events.

To tell the truth, he had been rather taken with her, secretly. Over the years he had tried to keep in touch with her, though she seemed to disappear from time to time with no warning.

Hans had found he was nervous and excited to be meeting with her once again; two things he never was at the same time. It had been a great deal of years. He had seen her only one time since their internship had ended. But she had still been beautiful and young-looking then.

They had agreed to meet at a small pub not far from his home that they had liked to frequent after work to swap stories. While he waited, he tossed down a drink quickly to calm himself, though it never registered on his face.

It had not been a crowded night, the snow keeping quite a few people at bay. With a gust of wind, the door banged open, revealing a sight for sore eyes. Adelaide was striding through the doorway, a vision in her heavy maroon coat and leather boots.

To his surprise, she still looked exactly the same as she had all those years ago. She had not aged a day. Her weighty coffee colored hair hung like a curtain down her back, offsetting her fair complexion and ice blue eyes. The smile she bestowed upon him brightened the room, showing her genuine delight in meeting him.

"Hans," she laughed as she began to pull off her coat and join him at the bar. He found no words would form in his dry mouth. He felt so old compared to her. People would think something was amiss wouldn't they?

"Adelaide," he whispered, reaching a hand to touch her face, to be sure she was real. Just like he remembered; he tried to shake himself back to composure. She laughed lightly once more, taking his hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. Heat, like sun on a chilly spring morning, seemed to radiate off of her in waves.

Just as if no time had passed, she started up a conversation with him about how his life had been going since they had last crossed paths, contented to listen to him speak. More drinks were tossed down, though she never seemed to be drunk, just classy as usual.

Had the alcohol not loosened him up so much, he would have noted how she carefully avoided answering detailed questions about her life thus far. Instead, she regaled him with her knowledge, bringing a smile to his lips.

He wasn't sure who actually proposed the idea, but soon they were leaving the pub, hand in hand and heading for his house. His excitement was reaching a boiling point as he unlocked the door and allowed her pass before him.

There was a small tour that concluded in the bedroom, most specifically his bed and her arms. Her skin was so hot, like trying to hold a flame, as he tightly gripped her to him as they consummated their longing again and again. She looked delicate without her heavy clothing.

Ah, such soft skin! His lips brushed every inch of it she would allow him without laughing too much at the way his facial hair tickled her or being so impatient. All parts of her seemed to fit together perfectly, so precise and exquisite. He was a stickler for those things, having loved building models as a child.

The bizarre scars he kissed in odd places on her body did not detract from her appearance, though he was curious to know how they got there. He stored the thought away for later. If she was self-conscious about them, she didn't show it.

He had never known that she was so primal in some ways with the way she seemed to need him, like oxygen; she had left before they reached this stage. He was only happy to oblige, even if she got a little rough. He remembered there was a moment of pain while her nails raked his back, drawing blood.

The next morning, as he cleaned up in the bathroom, he had noted them, along with a bite to his collarbone. He treated them gently while she slept the night off, tangled in his sheets. As he watched her chest rising and falling, he realized how much he wanted her more than just a one night stand, more than just a woman of convenience.

There had been women before her that would have been handy to keep, but there was something growing inside of him, some instinct he didn't understand, that said he needed her. Just as quickly as the feeling rose, he chalked it up to age, and brushed it aside. It was natural to want to settle down. His older brother, Simon, wasn't leading a normal lifestyle either though.

His lifestyle would never allow it though and it seemed neither would hers. He didn't even know what she did for a living now. She had steered clear of questions about herself the night before. But that wasn't terribly unusual was it? Somehow, it felt it.

Adelaide was stirring, gathering the sheets to her slim frame, adorably bashful in front of him. A tender smile touched his lips as she yawned and stretched, watching him. He was more than tempted to forget dressing and climb back into bed with her.

"I'll be out in just a second," he told her, turning back to finish his morning routine. But Hans heard her gasp, the bed springs creaking as she leapt up. He watched her gather her clothing, pulling it on faster than he ever imagined anyone could. "What's wrong?" he demanded trying to stop her.

"I have to leave," she told him breathlessly. "There's something important." Something flashed in her eyes; he thought worry, but couldn't be sure. "Work."

"What's going on?"

"I can't say," she insisted. "I wish I could, but-"

"Will you tell me later?"

"I'm not sure I can." He could hear the regret in her voice. Those deep eyes pleaded with him and he found himself unable to resist.

"Just try, later. Meet me at the pub tonight." He gripped her hands tighter than he meant to, trying to enforce the idea. He wasn't sure why his gut told him that he might not see her again, at least right away.

"I'll try," she told him quietly, sharing a brief kiss before she was out the door. Hans sighed, wondering if he had done something wrong. They had shared more than a few drinks, but he hadn't really felt drunk. Had it been something more? The topic had never come up of her having anyone else in her life.

He spied a book on the floor beside the bed, unmarked and rather worn. Probably just a romance novel or the like she had in her pocket that slipped out. He would give it back that night he decided, setting on his dresser.

But he never had the chance.

Adelaide never showed up at the pub once work was over. He waited, drinking only club soda until well after midnight. Something must have come up, he mused, fingering the book before setting his collar and heading home.

He tried calling several times, but no one answered. He grew worried, but kept it well hidden, allowing his work to consume him until it didn't hurt anymore. He always did the leaving in relationships to maintain control. It irritated him thoroughly that she had left him twice now, with no real reason.

As he headed down the sidewalk in the business section of L.A. he realized that maybe there was a reason. His coat was still at his home in Germany, because he never wore it again after that. He needed to see that book, if just to find important clues. Maybe she would answer his calls now, if she didn't expect him to be calling.

In the early winter light streaming through the buildings, he realized why she might have left in such a hurry. Why she might have not bothered to contact him, why she had not aged since he had met her all those years ago, why he might be doing the things he was doing.

But there was the problem of getting out of the country, once again, bringing him back to square one.

He needed Theo, at least for advice. He figured he would be able to track him down. The paper had given details of the county that arrested him so Hans would have to track him by scent if he absolutely had to; but he would rather use his cunning and logic first.

XXX

Author's Note: So what did you think? Please let me know!


	3. Chapter Three: Jailbreak

**Author's Note: **Alright, finally chapter three. I've actually had it mostly written for a while, at least in my head. Then I got a bit stuck and some stuff happened in my family, etc. So, as usual, a bit alternate universe. Theo and Simon both make an appearance, sort of. Sort of a filler, but getting closer to the good stuff, if you know what I mean, or at least the overall purpose. I'm also starting another story (after rewatching it for the millionth time the other night - as it was like british actor week in my household) an idea occured to me. So I'm hoping it is well recieved, as it is a bit different from this one. Less supernatural.

Enough of my babbling though. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Die Hard or its associated characters. No money is made from this.

* * *

Howl

Chapter Three: Jailbreak

_Redell's Guidebook:_

_So, you're dealing with the lycanthropy as best you can right? Your mind is slowly trying to adapt to what your body thinks is great fun now. _

_I can't promise it gets better really. I keep insisting this, but I'm serious. _

_I don't want to sugarcoat anything. _

_No one sugarcoated it for me. I woke up just as cold and alone as you have found yourself. I had no warning that I would fall asleep a normal woman and wake up a monster. _

_Really, who does? Except for those who take off their makeup at night. Whoo, sometimes that's a surprise, or finding out on your wedding night that the person you married might have been hiding some important secrets from you. I'm just saying…_

_The next thing on your mind is can I enjoy a normal life like this? Can I keep this terrible secret from everyone I love? More importantly, how do I meet other people like me to gain information?_

_Hold on a minute cowboy. _

_Sure, you can lead a normal life. If you're a guy, you'll be able to sympathize with your girlfriend (that is, if you haven't eaten her yet. If you have, then your mother… if you haven't eaten her yet. Don't make me pull out the grandparents, really) when that special time of the month rolls around for her… though really it doesn't make any woman feel special to be anxious, bloated, cranky, and bleeding…_

_If you're a girl, well then it's really not any different is it? You still fly off the handle, crave things that are bad for you, parts of your body hurt, bleed, and get over it in about seven days. You just eat raw meat, human if the beast can find it. Well, you might have before the change for all I know! _

_You'll just take a vacation for a week once a month, at least at night. _

_Not so bad right? Take some time off? Get some exercise? Go for long walks (or runs) in the moonlight? Scarf down a few people? No problem. _

_Well, you can't say I didn't try to lighten up your pit of despair for you. _

_As for how you deal with your secret and telling other people; that is entirely up to you. _

_I would say that honesty is the best policy, but I'm not the best example. _

_Let me tell you a story. _

_I'll make it as short as possible where time allows. _

_In late the 17__th__ century, a young woman lived with her family in a remote part of what is now Germany. She was happy with her seven brothers and sisters, her parents and working on the farm, tending the land. _

_She was betrothed to a neighbor, a man she did not love in the least. The marriage was supposed to strengthen family ties, as the neighbor was far richer than anyone in the village. _

_But he frightened her. _

_She couldn't place her finger on it. In all manners, he was a very polite man but there was something…wolfish about him. So she did her best to break the marriage. _

_Instead, it was bitten right open. _

_Her fiancé was a werewolf and an evil one to boot. _

_Sounds like something out a fairytale right? _

_But it's real, I assure you, very real. Painfully so. _

_When I look in the mirror in the morning sometimes, I wish that I could die. _

_With that dreary thought, let's move on shall we? Talk about pits of despair! _

_My point is that it is up to you to tell your family why you will outlive them (if you haven't eaten them – not that I know from experience having to fake my death to spare them the grief of having to try to kill me. Dark times I tell you.) Or your friends, or significant others. Most people are not going to believe you. You're not even going to believe you at times. _

_But then of course you can pull the I-told-you-that-I-was-a-werewolf-and-you-didn't-listen-to-me-until-too-late card. _

_However, if you accidently bite someone you should tell them. Or at least, leave them some sort of sign. That's why I started this guidebook and began printing it out of my current residence for other werewolves in my acquaintance, since sometimes you can't help turning lovers, friends, parents, etc. _

_You can leave them this book though. So either they'll go crazy without it, or go crazy with it. _

_Which leads me to the next part of our fun segments for today. _

_You will probably meet other werewolves in your very long time. The first created ones, to my knowledge still walk the earth. My creator in fact, still lives, though he always adapts well with the time. _

_Even though we're half human, half wolf, all badass, we don't like being so alone (with the exception of select few – namely me). _

_So some of us travel in packs for a time. Most of these packs are very nice, like family, even though you're supernatural. Like having a bunch of good cousins. _

_But some of these packs, are not to be trifled with. _

_I'm serious. _

_Please stay away from Diedrich Hartmann and his band of merry massacres. _

_Do not speak with him under any circumstances! I cannot implore this enough. _

_XXX_

The Nakatomi building was rather in good shape for all the damage he had caused it. Hans stood on the edge of the temporary chain link fences that had been constructed to keep people from wandering in.

The distance he had walked seemed to pass quickly, though he knew it had been blocks away. He supposed stamina was an included quality.

There was absolutely no way he would be able to get back in to get any information. He had figured this would be the case, but it never hurt to explore all options.

Some small part of him had wanted to see all the damage he was capable of causing, even though he knew he shouldn't be there. The building, although remodeled would always bear painful memories. Mr. Takagi(sp?) had been killed, his blood staining the carpet and surrounding area. No amount of cleaning would remove it; the whole carpet would have to be replaced.

A faint smile pulled at his lips, despite the severity of the situation. No one would ever forget him, though they might think him dead, they wouldn't forget him. That, in some way was worth it.

All memories aside, it was time for good old logic and detective work. He was going to have to find where Theo was being held first of all and then devise a clever plan to break him out. It was easier said than done.

Casually, he stuffed his hands further down in his pocket, painted on his best smile, and left the site. It would not do for someone to catch him now, not that he was paranoid. He needed money though, and quickly. He hadn't thought to grab some from the cash register in the thrift store.

Thinking fast, he glanced around for the nearest park, unrelated to where he attacked the teenagers. He needed a fountain for pocket change. He had some phone calls to make.

He continued to smile at passerby as he strolled, his sharp eyes glancing around, his nose trying to pick up the barest hint of water. There! Up ahead! He found a beautiful and running basic setup.

There was just enough room for him to seat himself nonchalantly on the sienna titled ledge and surreptitiously reach his hand in the chilly water. Mothers and children passed him by, ignoring him completely as he fished out enough change to place several calls to the surrounding stations as well as try to get a hold of his brother.

Drying his hand off on his jeans, he began a search for a pay phone. It seemed like he was doing more searching than solving, but it would be worth it as soon as he could break Theo free.

X

Hans did his best to dry off the change as he hurriedly stuffed the money in the beat up pay phone on the other side of the park. He would have rather not used a public phone like this, but he didn't have much of a choice.

It was either make the calls this way or wander around alone and possibly naked. He shuddered at the thought.

He donned his most convincing American accent so he could pose as Will Adams, accomplished reporter from People magazine, hoping to interview one of the criminals that had managed to survive. It took a few tries, but he found Theo to be nearby.

Of course, he had no intention of actually showing up. That would be like walking willingly into a lion's den. No, instead, he would scout the place out and use his new powers to break in, literally.

But another thought sobered him. What if he wasn't finished changing? How long did the cycle last? Or was it an every night thing?

Something inside indicated somehow that it wasn't. He felt crazy.

He would have to risk it. He figured he had changed around midnight or so, given the position of the moon and stars. As long as he busted Theo out before then he felt it would probably be okay.

Taking a deep breath of the smoggy air, he began to walk toward the directions he had saved in his memory. It was another extensive distance, but he didn't feel tired in the least. At least one good thing came of his new body.

He knew he looked a little different than he had just days before. He had noted it in the mirror at the secondhand shop. Maybe it was the way in which he carried himself now. The beast was all confidence, all the time.

His hair was tousled still, instead of the neat business comb, his beard a little more rugged, offering a more devil-may-care look. He found himself smiling saucily at women he passed on the street, though his mind still longed for Adelaide.

Hans wanted to keep his mind off the subject of her, but he knew once he started, there was no stopping. He could still picture her as she was last she came to visit him, delicate with hidden ferocity. Now that he had figured it out, it was quite easy to see all the little things he hadn't noticed before.

His current driving thought was getting back to ask her all kinds of questions. No wonder history had been so easy for her to discuss! He found himself trying to stifle a laugh as he realized those had been current times for her.

She had spoken so freely of leaders he had only read about. Adelaide had probably known them through the ages, lived under their rules. There was so much history and fact he wished to check with her.

But things would just have to wait until he found her again. Wishing would not get this situation fixed for him. There was one more phone call he would have to make, hopefully if he had enough change left.

As he waited for the lines to connect, he tried to think of how to break the news to his brother that he wasn't exactly human any more. Should he even break the news to him?

X

Theo felt he would surely wither away in his cell. Being away from technology, his beloved computers, and their many flashing components, was almost like a signed and dated death warrant for him. The plan should have worked. What happened besides that cop to make it fail?

He had not been able to see the limo driver that had knocked him from consciousness until it was too late. Of course police had found him, all curled on his side between the seats of the modified ambulance.

Theo had not been notified that Hans and the rest of their team were dead until later. Well, that sucked, but there was little he could do. He was already facing a hefty prison sentence already, even though he had merely hacked his way through the night.

He would not do well in prison.

He was too nerdy. The other prisoners would single him out right away. He wasn't looking forward to a repeat of high school, or being someone's girlfriend. Damn Hans for getting him into this mess!

However, as angry as Theo wanted to be, he couldn't quite make it. He felt bad that Hans had gone through all the trouble, spent all that time planning and hiring, only to have it blow up in his face, literally.

Theo wasn't treated badly in his cell. Three meals a day, a paperback to read if he got bored, a sort of bed, some new pals to talk to on either side of him. He would just have to wait things out. Maybe there was a way to release himself...

X

Hans hesitated as he prepared to dial his brother's number. What would Simon think? His little brother had failed. He would probably laugh.

Growing up, Simon and Hans had been rather close as children. As close as they could be with only a father raising them. Simon, being older remembered their mother more than Hans did. Sometimes, when he was asleep he could remember her hugging him close or singing in their native tongue. But usually, he couldn't recall her and therefore did not care quite as passionately as his brother.

It caused a fair share of fights until they were old enough to realize such things were childish and silly. Simon looked more like the pictures of their mother, slim and delicate, like a dancer in the one or two ballets they were fortunate to see with his shining locks of gold. Hans was darker, heavier like their father, who worked so hard to provide for them, so they could have an education like he never received.

Though Hans realized early on that he and his brother were quite good at teaching lessons of monetary value. Simon was in fact, working on his own heist now for one of the big cities. He couldn't recall which. Money and all matters of business were their lives.

He dialed the number, hoping his brother would accept the charges, and hoping his brother had not believed anything the news reported.

"Simon Gruber speaking," a familiar voice cooed into the phone.

"Simon?" His throat felt oddly dry.

"Oh Hans? I thought for sure you were dead," came the wry reply. Hans smiled tightly on the other end.

"Simon, I do not have time for your games. Something went wrong with my plan. I need a way out of the country soon."

"Well I might be able to get you out. Just you I presume?"

"No, there will be one other. I need to come home."

"You'll owe me."

"Fine." He tried to keep his answers short, businesslike. Simon caught wise though.

"Hans, something more has happened. You lost the money?"

"Of course." His pride wounded all over again. Simon would hold it over him for a while. Of course, it occurred to Hans that he could just eat his older brother when he returned. No, that would not be appropriate.

"But it is more than that?" Hans sighed.

"I don't have time to waste explaining the finer details of my loss to you. Can you help me or not?"

"Yes, but with the promise that I get the full story later."

"Whatever you want."

"Good. Be at the airport in three days time. I'll be there." They exchanged quick goodbyes and Hans felt a little more relieved with a plan in place. Now to figure out what to do about Theo. A grim smile reached his lips. What better way than to be a wolf in sheep clothing?

X

Something exciting was happening around the police station. Theo pressed his face to the bars in order to get a better view. Every available cop was rushing toward a new arrival.

As soon as he caught a glance, Theo wondered if his eyesight was bad or he was getting cabin-jail fever. How could Hans be in the police station when he was supposed to be dead? He caught Theo's eyes and winked as he was shuffled along.

Just when Theo had been used to the regular drunks and other things that wandered in all night! Would they be able to escape? If anyone could, it would be Hans.

Hans started yelling something, but Theo couldn't understand him very well. It was something about a monster, or the moon. Man on the moon? That had been years ago. Was he drunk? Theo had never seen Hans drunk. Of course, he had never seen him dead either.

"Run Theo," he growled as the cops tried to wrest him into a nearby cell.

"Run? Run where Hans? Where the hell do you suggest I run?" An officer pushed him off the bars on his way to see about Theo's former boss. Hans answered with a shake of his head and disappeared into the swarm. Theo threw up his hands; he knew it was too good to be true.

There were cries of call the FBI and anything else that would want to see Hans off. Theo snorted, as the government had done nothing with him so far. They were caught up in laws and other things.

He started to shut them out until he heard screams of pain and caught splashes of blood painting the white walls, along with a spine-chilling roar. There was fur flying among the remaining officers as they tried to get away, while trying to figure out just what the hell was going on.

"Another impossible thing," Theo whispered as cops ran past his cell. The other detainees were screaming in very real terror now, even the less than sober ones. What Theo thought was Hans now came running to his cell, tearing the door from its frame, and snarling.

"Run," he rasped again, overtaken by painful convulsions. Theo could see Hans' bones changing shape as fur began to sprout out. "Park. Morning. Nearby." He limped on, barely able to stand now. Theo watched for a second or two, before he crawled through the bars and started running through the station, hardly believing what he had just seen.

X

**Author's End Note: **Ooo so what next? Any ideas? Please drop a review if you would like to see more!


	4. Chapter Four: Killing Time

**Author's Note: **Okay, so I got this chapter done a bit sooner than I had originally planned. It makes connections, explains stuff for Hans, and develops the story further. In other words: I'm a bit worried it ended up being more of a filler. I bit more Theo in this one though :) He's fun to write, so I tried to come up with stuff I thought he might say.

Also, I've included a sort of recurring them among paranormal fiction. The art of the connection with your creator. I'm sure you've probably seen it in other stories or books you've read.

So please enjoy! Updated before Halloween (or Samhain), so just in time. It will probably be updated in about a month or so. I don't want to update it all at once, as 1) I have other projects I'm working on 2) I also have school work 3) I love the suspense!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Die Hard or its associated characters. I do own my OC. No money is made from this.

* * *

Howl

Chapter Four: Killing Time

_Redell's Guidebook: _

_So you've survived your first week of horror. _

_How do you feel? _

_Guilty? Dirty? Indifferent? _

_Yeah, get used to it all. _

_I'd rather not put up with your whining. _

_I've got problems of my own to deal with too you know. _

_Now it's time to bulk up. Try to find a cure where I have failed. _

_And remember, you're not alone, except for that one week of every month. I've fled to Germany again, my native home. I'm holding down a normal job for a while. I've met a man, one that I actually feel a connection with. _

_And eventually I will be driven away, like a wolf from sheep. _

_But for now, I'll pretend I'm normal for some sanity. You should too. _

_I'm just worried that Dietrich will return for me. I'm always worrying about that. I know this world isn't big enough to lose him forever in. He'll come after you too. He wants a master race of werewolves. The Cursed. _

_I'm going to find some way to stop him. _

_I've got to. _

_The rest of the world doesn't deserve what we have to deal with. _

_I know all this, because sometimes you can feel a connection with your creator. Because he is mine, I sometimes feel the evil vibes he sends out. _

_So as if you didn't have enough to deal with. I'll give you one more. _

_Ever feel that you're not completely in control of your emotions while you're not in the change? Sudden happiness or anger? Or that you instinctively know things that you shouldn't?_

_Then you might have a connection with the lycanthrope that created you. In which case, be very, very careful. If you have an evil creator like me, then sometimes it will be very hard to maintain your control. Or, if you are already evil, then it's really not that different for you is it? No change, whatsoever. But you'll have random bursts of information sometimes. _

_I think it has something to do with the rewiring of your body. Like joining a spider web or a telephone party line. You're connected with people sometimes, and sometimes you're just the gossip monger. _

_I hate to tell you, but if the connection is that strong, sometimes you might experience physical pain too. But I've only heard that. I've never actually felt it myself. Probably because no one has caused Dietrich pain before. _

_X_

**Different entry: **

_I've had to flee once more. The man I met, that I think I love. _

_Most grievously, I scratched him during our love making. As always, I can't keep my claws to myself…_

_Like the coward I am, I fled. _

**Different entry:**

_Something has happened. I think Dietrich was onto me the entire time. I think he's going to try and take me back soon. _

_I don't want that to happen. I would rather live a million more years alone than to be bow to his wishes ever again. He made me what I am, but he can't tell me who to be or who love, or who to follow. _

_X_

Hans Gruber had the distinct prickling feeling that someone was watching him. His warm amber eyes snapped open to find someone's beat up tennis shoes beside his face.

"How nice of you to get up," a sarcastic voice informed him. "I thought I was going to have to stare at your naked ass all day. Then I remembered I could charge admission and make a killing." Feeling his whole body flush with anger, Hans raised his eyes to see a grinning Theo watching him amusedly.

"You should have made yourself useful and found me some clothes, or coffee," Hans snapped as he made an attempt to stand. Weak morning sunlight illuminated the park around him. While the chill in the air would have bothered a human, it soothed his raging temperature. That was one feature he liked about lycanthropy.

"Already done." He passed Hans an outfit similar to the one he had been wearing at the police station, along with a towel to clean himself off with. Hans didn't question where he got it from; he just assumed Theo had stolen them from God knows where.

Begrudgingly, he said "Thank you," as he dressed quickly. He was not fond of the losing his clothing with every transformation. "What about the coffee?"

"You still drink coffee? I thought you liked the taste of blood now."

"That's vampires you moron," Hans growled. "Do you really think I enjoy what I do with my nights now?"

"Of course. What's not to like? Becoming a killing machine? Eating your brethren like they're going out of style? Sounds like the good life to me," Theo rolled his eyes. Sarcasm. Good for everything.

"You're taking all of this in stride."

"Because I figured I could sell you to the zoo and make a fortune." Theo wasn't laughing. Hans figured the guy actually meant to do it, should he ever give him reason to.

"How do you know I won't just eat you and be done with it?" Hans smiled nastily. Theo shrugged.

"I don't. But you have to take risks if you want anything out of life."

"Now I remember why I keep you along."

"For my wit? Or because I can be a midnight snack now?"

"You'll just have to find out won't you?"

"What's the plan chief?"

"We go back to my homeland."

"Okay. Good start. But I'm a details man."

"In three day's time. My brother is going to be connecting us with a flight out of here." Simon was very thorough in getting things just so.

"From there?" Right to the chase.

"To find a woman."

"We're going all the way back to Germany for a booty call?" Hans clenched his fists until his fingernails drew blood.

"No. I have to ask her some questions about this new me."

"She's your creator then?" Hans nodded. "And I'm guessing she gave you this?" Hans thought he meant lycanthropy until he realized the younger man was holding something in his hand.

"The book? How did you get it?" Hans had been certain that he had left it in that coat pocket. Then again, he had just packed clothing with no regard to what it was exactly.

"You lent me an extra coat when we arrived. I found this in the pocket and thought it was a pretty good story."

"You read it?" He snatched the book out of the younger man's hands. It was the very same.

"Yeah. It was pretty amusing, until I found out it was real." Theo had spent the night tracking Hans, all over the city to watch his endeavors. It was just like being on the set of a horror movie. The author's words had rung so true as he watched, once he had recovered from the shock. Not fiction. Being immortal came at much too high a price for him.

Hans began steadily reading the words he had so needed this week. Had Adelaide written it? Had someone else given it to her? More questions floated through his mind in a steady stream. Now he had more than he had started with.

"Hans, I know you want to find out more about your time of the month, but my feet hurt and I'm hungry enough to eat a human. Let's go somewhere."

"Fine," he nodded curtly. "Lead the way." He had no appetite, but he still wanted coffee.

X

They made their way to a nearby cafe, where Theo treated himself to breakfast and Hans continued reading while sipping a healthy dose of coffee. They didn't worry about being seen in public. The story at the Police station had only made it onto the National Enquirer so far. It would take a little longer for anyone else to believe it.

"How did you find money?" Hans asked, remembering that he had sunk to dip his hand in chilly water to get chump change from the fountain to even make a phone call.

"How else? I raided the bodies." Hans paled.

"What?" Theo cried. "It wasn't like they were going to need that cash!" He garnered a share of onlookers with his comment. "I'm practicing for a movie," he covered quickly. "It will be out soon, the Grave robbers? A comedy?" People lost interest immediately.

"Good save," Hans told him, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Heh. I also set us up an account to use until we can leave," Theo explained. "The cop computers were available obviously. It wasn't that hard. You can run around all night and I'll be sleeping in comfort."

"Have it your way. I think my nights are more fun though." It was a joke, but a terrible one. Neither man laughed.

X

For the next few days, Hans and Theo hid out in the hotel, under the guise of business travelers. There was some sort of convention in town that week. No one bothered questioning them. There just wasn't time to be suspicious of two average men.

The book that Adelaide had left Hans was quite helpful in telling him everything he wanted to know about being a werewolf. His curse would be over by the time he was supposed to meet Simon at the airport.

But it didn't tell him if Adelaide had written the book herself. He figured she had though, as it seemed to coincide with her time with him years ago.

His gut churned though, as he mindlessly flipped through the TV stations. Theo was asleep on the matching twin bed. At night, he followed like a shadow, to keep up with Hans' movements so that they didn't get caught. Tomorrow morning, first thing, they would be going to the airport to meet Simon.

He still felt the sooner he got back to Germany, the better. Something was wrong with Adelaide. He knew it, somehow.

Flicking the TV off, he grabbed the book once more. He had almost read it cover to cover. Now was as good a time as any. Tonight would be his last killing night of the month.

As he read on, he could see where she had been forced to leave for a while. He had been gone too though. That was right after the internship. He was fairly certain that the entries were about him.

He could see where she had been looking for her creator, but coming up with nothing solid. Then waltzing back into his life for one night. And cursing him too.

As he neared the last page, he could see her hand scribbled apology at what she had done. There was also a different phone number listed beneath it.

Excited, Hans picked up the room phone and dialed. It rang and rang. She wasn't there. He slammed the phone down, brooding.

He felt powerless, frustrated, and terrified.

Wait.

He did feel powerless when he reviewed the situation. He was incredibly frustrated for a number of different reasons. But he was not scared. It must have been coming from her, through the connection. He was worried personally, but that wasn't the same thing.

Suddenly, his back felt like it was breaking.

Hans panicked, thinking it was the change. But a quick glance to the window told him it was probably mid afternoon. Too early.

He cried out, grabbing at his spine, and crashing to the floor.

"Hans?" Theo asked sleepily before he bounded over the other bed to check on his boss. "What's wrong?" Hans was still yelling, but he couldn't feel any physical damage to himself.

Adelaide.

The information rose unbidden to the front of his mind.

Someone was hurting her.

Would she die? What would that do to him? Would he die too? Had someone finally found a way to kill them?

But as quickly as the pain started, it stopped.

He knew she wasn't dead, like he knew the sky was blue. But something had gone horribly wrong.

"Hans?" Theo asked again, adjusting his glasses. "What happened? Having cramps?"

"I don't know," he snapped. It was technically the truth. He didn't know exactly what had happened. "I felt something through the connection." All the amusement in Theo's face drained away.

"She's in trouble isn't she?"

"Yes." Terribly trouble and Hans was stuck until tomorrow at least.

X

After another night of mindless violence, Hans hated to think that he was used to it. He was becoming jaded, like someone who has been at war for months. It just happened.

The airport was crowded with left over Christmas and now New Years travelers. Hans wished that Simon had been more specific about where to meet him.

"So where do we go?" Theo asked.

"Like a bloody know," Hans snapped back, looking for a schedule. There was a flight scheduled for Germany sometime that day. "Follow me." He guessed one had come in recently, for Simon to be there.

As they neared the gate, Hans noticed a familiar head of blond hair before his brother's smirk.

"Little brother," Simon greeted him. "What a beast."

X

**Author's End Note: **Review?


	5. Chapter Five: Family Ties

**Author's Note: **Finally back with another installment. However, I am sorry it is so short! School is pretty much just kicking my butt right now, along with some changes at work and stuff. I will keep working on it though.

Thank you so much for all the support and I hope you enjoy this latest part!

* * *

Howl

Chapter Five: Family Ties

_Redell's Guidebook:_

_The older you grow as a werewolf, the more you have to try and blend in, learn the new customs of the time, not stand out so much. _

_That is what our race is about. Keeping well under the radar. _

_I once knew a werewolf who stood out so much that he was constantly being arrested or ending up on the latest less than desirable publications. _

_It was a thrill. _

_Me, I just like learning new things. The identity I've created is that of an eager young student. Get's me around pretty well, keeps me out of trouble. _

_Also make sure that you can find someone to forge identity papers for you every now and again. I usually like to have friends in high places. If you look closely, you'll be surprised probably at the number of werewolves that turn up in all branches of everything. _

_Mysterious deaths of famous people, ordinary people, the ones that lack death pictures floating around, might just be a werewolf. I once came across a werewolf who swore up and down that Elvis was roving around the desert these days as a werewolf. Don't think about it too hard. _

_Of course, I've heard numerous stories about who is and who isn't. You'll hear them too in the right places. Maybe even start a few. _

_If you hear the story involving the wolf, grandma, and a girl, some of that is mine. I helped embellish it for the Grimm brothers. It is quite popular from time to time, especially among children. _

**Different Entry: **

_Oh yes, that movie that is making the circuits of VHS now, about the werewolf in London. Fairly accurate. _

_But please don't sit at home watching it all day. No, there is no dead friend to be your guide. Of course, if you do have one, well then maybe you should get some help already? I'm not licensed to diagnose that sort of thing. _

_And your nurse probably won't love you, unless they did already. _

_And guns won't kill you. Not even silver. _

_Of course, if you want to sit at home all the time and watch movies about things you already know, then feel free. _

_I can't say you're wasting your life. I'm not your mother am I? _

_VHS. In my day, at the risk of sounding like your grandparents, we didn't have such a thing. _

_Fire. That was our entertainment. Going to be early. Working the land. Maybe doing some sewing. _

_It was a long time before I learned to read and write properly. Men over the ages have been so overbearing haven't they? _

_Dietrich, not matter how much older he gets, no matter how much time passes around him, still refuses to acknowledge this fact. It's one of the reasons he wants me. The unconquered woman of the romance novels. Free spirited and all of that rubbish. _

_That's exactly why he can't win. Human women depend on me to help save them. There are only a handful of female werewolves these days. It's a simple matter of not surviving the change. _

_Not because we are weak, but because our alpha refuses to acknowledge us as a viable part of the pack. Women are usually killed right after they begin showing symptoms of the virus, before the first change, and the last time we are vulnerable. _

_Dietrich had not meant to bite me to cure me. He was going to use it as an excuse. When I began to show symptoms of madness, he would construct an accident for my family to believe, then kill me with his bare hands the first chance he got. _

_Instead, I faked my own death and escaped. I was lucky. _

_Dietrich can hurt me, but I'm not sure he can kill me. _

**Different Entry: **

_Just got a tip from a drifter werewolf that Dietrich seems to have found something that can kill us. He seems to be testing it in some remote location of Germany now. _

_Werewolves in the area are disappearing and not resurfacing. _

_I'm going to try and find out all I can so I can record it. _

X

On the plane, Hans was restless. It was a long flight, with stopovers as well. He was anxious to return to Germany, to track Adelaide down as soon as possible, so that he could assure himself that she wasn't in too much harm.

As he stared out into the cloud cover shielding the earth from his view, Hans felt more of Adelaide's influence coming through the connection. He shifted uneasily in the seat, turning away from both Theo and Simon.

Adelaide was worried still. He couldn't blame her. There was a deep and lasting ache in his back that was partly due to the uncomfortable seat he never could adjust to his liking and partly to whatever pain he had felt in the hotel room.

He supposed that the flesh was mending itself; or at least he hoped that was the case. He could feel the stirrings of longing growing within him. Hans just knew, like one knows that the sky is blue, that Adelaide was pining for his comfort. He was pining for hers as well.

He could tell that they were closer to Germany as the connection grew a little stronger. He could feel things slightly more potently.

"It is happening again?" Theo asked, for once, quite serious and keeping his voice as low as possible to keep from disturbing the sleeping Simon. Hans gave him a curt nod of his head as an answer.

X

As they made their weary way out of the airport, Hans breathed a sigh of relief that he was mostly home, taking a deep breath of the familiar air to celebrate.

"Come to my home and we'll rest. But I expect the full story later," Simon told them, stifling a yawn. One of his men was waiting nearby with a car, for the nearly two hour drive from Berlin Tegel Airport to Simon's rural home in outside of Neubrandenburg.

The late night excursions as well as international jet lag had an immediate effect on Han's body, as he fell asleep within moments of settling down in the car. Germany could wait. Simon could wait. All Adelaide was doing was waiting.

It was rather like the calm before a violent storm.

"Hey, dog breath, we're here," Theo was trying to tell him. He shook himself awake, surveying his surroundings. It was the family home, where he had grown up. Hans suppressed the memories that threatened to surface and pulled himself from the car.

"You start scratching for fleas and I'll have to make you sleep outside," Simon joked.

Hans pinned Simon with his glare, replying: "I have my flea collar."

"I see the states did not ruin your sense of humor." Hans said nothing more, pushing past his brother to the porch, so he could be a step closer in entering the house and retiring to bed. He was going to murder someone out of werewolf form if he wasn't allowed more than several hours of sleep.

"Has he always been this way?" Theo asked.

"Oh yes, ever since we were children. He lacks the love of a mother." Even though they were older, Simon still felt the need to pinprick him with memories that he had Hans didn't.

"It really is all the mother's fault isn't it?" Hans bit the inside of his cheek to avoid saying something particularly nasty. He was tired of confrontation. It was shame enough having to call Simon for help. He felt like a child all over again, constantly needing assistance with the most menial tasks.

"Oh dear brother, you know I only mean most of my jibes don't you?" Schooled in the art of cutting vital organs with a smile.

Simon withdrew a set of keys from his pocket, taking his time and finally fitting the correct one into the lock before he showed them in.

"Brother, your bedroom is still available. I left it exactly as you had it." Hans hurried up the stairs, avoiding cordial protocol, and shutting himself in only to find that Simon had not been kidding. Everything from his adolescent bed to his toy models were in place.

Maybe he would just kill his brother the old fashioned way when he was less tired he thought as he collapsed into bed.

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Did you enjoy the witty banter? :) Drop me a line!


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